Healing Resistance: A Radically Different Response to Harm

This is a great book for anyone from beginner to seasoned activist. Kazu Haga breaks down Kingian Nonviolence and other justice and healing modalities in a way that makes them very accessible to a wide array of readers. I plan to give this to several elder activists - and my 14 year old niece. Haga breaks down the Six Principles of Kingian Nonviolence, Restorative Justice/Practices (RP), separates & defines four types of conflict as well as other clarifying enumerations of large concepts. As an RP practitioner, I found his handling of restorative work to be excellent, and I found the Kingian principles revelatory and beautiful. Kingian Nonviolence dispels the myth that nonviolence is passivity "Nonviolence is not about what not to do. It is about what you are going to do", and has clear steps toward justice and conflict work that have proven efficacy. Haga's handling of nuance and contradiction is unique and powerful, as well as his personal approach to understanding alternate perspectives (listening to right wing radio on regular basis - with an open mind -for instance). More than one thing can be true at the same time, we can expand to hold contradiction, and still seek accountability and healing. The clarity of why shaming and punishment doesn't work for preventing future harm, or healing harm that has occurred is present not only in the concepts in the book, but his personal experience via years of offering trainings in prisons. There is still a lot of resistance to RP and nonviolent approaches to harm - especially in Law Enforcement and Corrections, and I think the accessibility and clarity in this book are useful to help naysayers possibly see the light of why these healing and justice practices ultimately protect us all.

This book bridges the gap between activism and spirituality, making the argument that the world will never change for the better in a lasting way without both working together. Yes, the systems of injustice must be dismantled, but it will be impossible to build new systems that work for all without the inner foundations spelled out in this book. Yes, we need to love one another, but we also need to deal with the material realities of injustice and oppression. Without the principles laid out in this book, we are left with a toxic culture of shaming and ineffectual anger on the side of the activists and a loving but disconnected-from-reality culture on the side of the spiritual while the violence-fueled industrial-growth complex goes on wreaking its destruction. If you despair of things ever changing for the better, read this book. It's THE way forward.

If you read one book this year about how to deal with conflict, this is the one. His language is crisp, his examples simple to understand, his reasoning is easy to follow. Best of all, he interprets Dr. King's Philosophy of Nonviolence through his own, hard-won experience with organizing in Oakland, CA, Occupy Wall Street and myriad other struggles. All that experience has taught him that Dr. King was right to focus on relationship building. Kazu asks the hard questions, toughs out the answers, learns from myriad mistakes and shares his hard-won lessons with us. He also references some great resources. I gave this book 5 stars. Normally I would have awarded 4 stars, because there are some typos sprinkled throughout the book. However, I added back that star because the book is so very well-written, absolutely authentic to the Kingian Nonviolence curriculum, and urgently useful NOW. Kingian Nonviolence (not non-violence) is more useful and effective than any other strategy, for the long-term, and often for the short term as well. Let's build this world of Beloved Community. Thank you Kazu, Dr. Lafayette, and Dr. King, for giving us a head start.

The order came fast, the book was brand NEW and only $11 bucks! I have loved reading this book and enriching my knowledge with more information. This is definitely a NEED READ for all future and current activists! PAPER BACK OPTION

The most beautiful book I’ve ever read. The book I needed to heal a heart broken by the horrors of injustice. The world would be a kinder place if everyone read this book.

Excellent book. Kazu Haga is accessible, realistic, and profound. This is a mandatory reading for all of us looking for accountability and hope in our polarized times.

In a humble and clear way, the author uses his own life experience to define what nonviolence is and isnt and shows how it can be an entire worldview.

Sometimes it's easy to think the world has become so murky that truth barely matters any more. Kazu Haga keeps it real and shows us how to be nonviolent without becoming martyrs to the cause. The book acts as a reminder that taking a principled stand on violence is the only way change has occurred in history, but also acknowledges that we need to love our whole selves and use our brains to step outside habitual patterns of trauma-triggered violence.